Chapter 27 - Pumpkaboo Night

Olga stirred in her bed, her hand reaching out instinctively for the empty space beside her. Her fingers brushed the cold, soft pillow, and she blinked her eyes open, momentarily disoriented. The emptiness always stung, even if she expected it. Her gaze drifted to the rumpled covers and the half-closed bedroom door. She let out a frustrated groan.

Without thinking, she shoved the pillow aside and rolled over to face the window. Weak light filtered in, stubbornly refusing to be ignored. Her head throbbed, and her stomach churned in protest.

“Ugh,” she groaned again, pulling the duvet over her head in an attempt to block out the light and return to sleep. Just as her eyes fluttered shut, the door hinges squeaked. She hesitated, then felt icy drops on her face. She knew exactly who had come in.

“Lite,” she muttered, her voice muffled by the covers.

With a sigh, she emerged from her cocoon to face her Ice-Type. Vanillite hovered near the bedside clock, its frosty stare unmistakably disapproving.

“Shit! It’s late.” Olga exclaimed, jumping out of bed, only to wince at the sudden movement. “You could’ve come here earlier.”

Ignoring Vanillite’s chirps, she trudged to the wardrobe, every step feeling like a herd of Tauros trampled through her body. Her hands sifted through the clothes, each motion syncing with the pounding in her head. She gritted her teeth and tossed a random shirt and pair of pants onto the bed.

Then… another groan escaped her lips, softer this time, as she steeled herself for the day ahead.

—*——*—

“The year, 1927. The place, the great Elysium Hotel in Castelia City, where the rich and powerful once hid their debauchery and depravity... Of all the rooms in that lavish hotel, one stood out: Room 99...”

Olga cringed as Celeste’s voice echoed from the living room downstairs. As if her headache wasn’t bad enough. Massaging her temples, she wondered when she’d died and moved on to hell. She tried to appear tough and unbothered before moving to the stairs, but her eyes must’ve betrayed her, as Lite drifted around with his I told you so expression. Mercifully, he didn’t dwell much on it. Instead, he settled on her head, offering some much, much needed relief.

Well, he didn’t dwell on it long, but he still had to say it. “Lite,” he murmured, clearly unamused.

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Olga muttered as she forced herself downstairs to the living room, her stomach queasier with each step.

She hoped to slip into the kitchen unnoticed by the kids who had no business being there in the first place. Somehow, one of them (she wasn’t pointing fingers, but it most likely was the one whose name started with a C) had woken up early and decided it was a great idea to fill her minimalistic, clean living room with a bunch of other teenagers and their Pokémon.

When had her life turned into this? Her one teenager was enough.

For a moment, Olga paused at the bottom of the stairs, observing her visitors and planning escape routes. Delia, the girl who had impressed her like few others, was picking up dirty dishes from the coffee table and carrying them to the kitchen. She was the one person Olga didn’t mind having around. The boy with them, whatever his name was, sat with wide eyes, clutching his Munna to his chest. He perched on the arm of a sofa where Rey lounged. Her son’s Pokémon were there too: Larvesta and Capsakid curled by the sofa while his Eevee engaged in a hissing contest with Celeste’s Eevee.

And then, of course, there was Celeste. She sprawled on the floor, forming a pile of limbs with not only her Pokémon, but also a few others. A Hoothoot perched on her head, while a Lunatone napped beside her Slowpoke. Her Vulpix, the only one not flopped around, sat diligently by her, hanging on every word Celeste spoke like it was gospel.

“…and the screams that echoed through the lavish corridors were not of this world. No... not even Ghost Pokémon could have made those. Dr Ermi had no more doubts. The Elysium was haunted by the dead,” Celeste whispered the last words, clearly enjoying the boy with the Munna squirming and squeaking at her words.

“It’s just a story, Luan,” Delia said, emerging from the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel. “Celeste is probably making it up.”

“I am not!” Celeste protested, raising her voice and making Olga’s head throb even more. “You can look it up. Dr Ermi was a Kalosian guy with a Meowstic called Coco. And the Elysium Hotel was super famous before it was destroyed in a mysterious fire.”

Olga groaned, finally drawing the kids’ attention. Unfortunately. “Did you come to my house early in the morning just to be loud?”

Celeste grinned sheepishly. “Just trying to entertain. Get everyone in the mood, you know?”

“Next time, entertain quietly.” Olga trudged to the kitchen, thinking the conversation was over.

It was not.

“It’s Halloween!” Celeste leapt up, causing the Hoothoot on her head to flutter away. As if that explained anything. Olga didn’t bother responding. Instead, she made a quick U-turn to the kitchen, ignoring whatever-his-name-was whining about some menace.

“We don’t have Halloween here,” Olga said when Celeste popped up behind her. She opened the fridge, grabbed a few tomatoes and a single Tamato Berry, and tossed them into a blender.

“It’s October 31, and you have an event where people dress up as scary things,” Celeste insisted. “Where I come from, we call it Halloween.”

Why did everything have to be a debate with her?

“Pumpkaboo Night, not Halloween,” Olga corrected, turning to face Celeste. “Centuries ago, when humans and Pokémon weren’t as friendly, people on the island would dress up and carve pumpkins as Pumpkaboo to ward off evil Ghost-Types.”

“Soo... basically Halloween,” Celeste said under her breath, but Olga drowned out her words by turning on the blender. One headache was enough. “I’m here to train,” Celeste yelled over the noise.

Olga raised an eyebrow. “You know you’re supposed to take a day off so your Pokémon can recover, right?”

Celeste grinned. “Powder is fine, and we’re taking the afternoon off to make a costume. But... you’ve seen Mia’s and Lori’s battles, right? They’re strong. I need to figure something out if I want to win.”

Olga sighed, pouring herself a glass of the juice. Celeste grimaced at it, prompting a snort from her teacher. “Tomato and Tamato Berry juice is a miracle cure for a hangover, kid,” Olga said, chugging it down. “Are you battling any of them tomorrow?”

Celeste shook her head. “No, I’m matched against the boy with the Swinub.”

“Well, train for that, then. Remember what I told you?” Olga asked. Celeste nodded, and they recited together, “Stay in the moment.”

“I’ll go warm up,” Celeste said, gesturing for her Vulpix to follow. Olga raised her eyebrows and sighed, deciding she needed one more shot of juice.

—*——*—

“You’re warming up to her,” Lori said, her words echoing around them as she followed Olga down the streets leading to Articuno Plaza. Olga didn’t bother looking back, but she could feel Lori’s smirk burning into her back. “Celeste and her Vulpix were wiped out. How come you were never that hard on me?”

Olga wasn’t having this conversation. Not now. Not with Lorelei. They turned onto Swine Street, the Town Hall’s clock tower looming ahead. They were already running late for their meeting, and Olga quickened her pace, hating the thought of being tardy.

“Delia’s been helping you out a lot lately. That’s new for you, letting others into your kitchen,” Lori persisted. Despite her shorter legs and uncomfortable heels, she matched Olga’s pace with ease. Her piercing eyes stayed fixed on Olga. “No judgement. Whatever she was cooking earlier, it smelled amazing.”

Olga groaned as she crossed the plaza and finally halted at the entrance of the Town Hall. The building looked completely out of place on Four Island. The islands had been originally settled by people from Orre and Unova, and over the centuries, the nearby regions of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn had cemented their influence on the island’s way of life. Yet this Town Hall boasted what the mayor dubbed romantic Kalosian architecture, which made even less sense considering it had only been built a few years ago.

With her jaw doing that clenching thing it usually did whenever she got close to the town hall, Olga turned to Lorelei. “Shouldn’t you focus on the meeting you insisted I arranged?”

Lori shrugged, walking past Olga into the building. “I just think it’s a nice change for you.”

Olga followed, not amused in the slightest. “You know Celeste wants me to train her to beat you? You’re making an excellent case for me to push her even harder.”

With a chuckle, Lori stopped at the reception desk where a middle-aged woman named Linda was typing away on a computer. “Hi, we have a meeting with Mayor White.” Linda startled at that, flustering when her gaze landed on Olga. Lori didn’t seem to notice and turned back with a chuckle still on her lips. “You’ll need to push Celeste a lot harder if you want her to beat me.”

“S-sorry,” Linda stammered, avoiding eye contact with Olga and fixating on a small planner on her desk. “You were running late, and Mayor White is very busy... He’s in another meeting, and because of the festivities…”

Olga groaned, interrupting the receptionist, who lapsed into awkward silence. Although Olga was more than happy to avoid any type of contact with Linda, she felt the need to expedite the situation. Her eyes trailed down to Linda’s very familiar neck where she saw a half hidden red mark. This gave her a horrible idea.

This day was only getting worse.

“Linda,” Olga started, attempting a smile that surely came out twisted. “Earlier today you weren’t around when—” she stopped herself, pretending to measure her next words. “It’d be lovely to have some time to actually chat. Legendries know we didn’t do a lot of that last night.” She paused to watch Linda’s face turn crimson. “Unless, of course, the Mayor is suddenly free to meet us.”

Olga felt her stomach revolt again. At least Lite wasn’t here to judge her.

Noticing where Olga—and undoubtedly Lorelei—were looking, the receptionist quickly raised the collar of her shirt higher and, without meeting their eyes, pointed to the lift in the corner. “Mayor’s office is on the fourth floor, end of the hallway.”

With a sigh, Olga walked toward the lift, grumbling a low, “Thought so.”

When the doors closed, Lori was staring at her. “So, Linda?”

“Don’t pry.”

Lori simply smiled. “I’m just happy you’re letting people into your life for once. Be it Celeste and Delia or…” she looked at the lift’s display, timing her words perfectly with the door’s opening. “…Or Linda.”

Before Olga could groan, Lori swiftly exited the lift and headed towards the Mayor’s office, taking the half-opened door as an invitation. “Good afternoon, sir. I hope we’re not interrupting. We have a meeting scheduled.”

—*——*—

Mayor White was a short man with a roundish face and little Rattata eyes, not the kind you’d picture in a leader. Yet, he had held his position for years. Olga suspected there was more to his success, but as long as the town ran smoothly, she had no reason to complain. As they entered his unassuming office, she couldn’t help but glance at the lone wall adorned with photographs of important visitors. It was the only noteworthy feature in the room, and even that was mediocre at best.

When the Mayor realised the two women were unceremoniously walking into his office, he let out a loud squeak, causing the person he was speaking with to burst out laughing. It took Olga a few seconds to recognise the visitor as Mia, and a few more to notice someone else impatiently tapping his fingers in a dark corner of the room.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“No need to be jumpy, Mr White,” Mia said, wiping a tear from her eye. Still grinning, she stood up to greet the newcomers. “Olga is a dear friend, and after watching Lorelei’s battle yesterday, I’ve become a fan.”

Olga nodded curtly, placing herself in a corner of the room to keep her distance from everyone else. She couldn’t fathom why Mia thought they were friends, let alone dear friends, but she wasn’t about to give her any more openings.

“Nice to meet you,” Lorelei said, shaking Mia’s hand with ease. “Your battle yesterday was also impressive. I do hope we get to face one another.”

“T-they are your friends?” the Mayor stammered, nervously glancing at the person in the corner. A young man—a boy, really—who looked as thrilled to be there as Olga.

Mia grinned at the boy, then winked at the Mayor as she wrapped an arm around Olga’s shoulder, eliciting a groan from her. “I’m hoping to convince the Ice Boutique to join our Razzo family,” she beamed. “Anyway, I think I’ve kept you long enough. I should get going.”

Olga wriggled away from Mia’s touch, and Mia just laughed. Even the thought of being controlled by a huge Kantonian corporation made Olga’s stomach churn. No one seemed to notice, or care, about her discomfort, however.

Quite the contrary.

Mayor White appeared lost in his own delusions. “Just imagine the connections between Razzo and our local entrepreneurs,” he said, his earlier squeals replaced by a much more joyful tone. “Olga, you must make that happen! Mia, do you think your boss could visit us sometime?” The Mayor glanced at his wall of photos, practically drooling. “President Razzo will surely have a prominent place on my wall. That would be wonderful.”

White continued on this tangent for a while, and despite saying she was leaving, Mia seemed more than happy to indulge him. The day some big-name corporate tycoon would set foot on their island would be when hell froze over. But people like Mia? They knew how to play on frail egos. The Mayor was no doubt the easiest target in town for someone like her.

Finally, after several painful minutes of empty flattery, Mia motioned towards the door. Lorelei, who had been patiently and quietly waiting, turned to the person in the corner. “Aren’t you taking your bodyguard with you?”

“Huh?” Mia tilted her head in confusion. “Him? He’s not with me. I think he’s been waiting for you two.”

As Mia left, Olga raised her eyebrows and looked at the Mayor and crossed her arms. She wished her Vanillite was here. He always helped reinforce her displeasure and impatience.

“Please don’t give me that look, Olga. You were late, and I’m taking every opportunity to foster a relationship with Razzo. Having them on our island is already bringing great things.” The Mayor dabbed his sweaty forehead with a tissue. He gestured to the stranger waiting nearby. “Let me introduce you to our new ranger, Ryder.”

“Ranger?” Olga furrowed her brow. Lorelei curiously approached him, adjusting her glasses. The boy seemed a tad young, but he was wearing the traditional red and yellow uniform, and a clunky utility belt, also typical of rangers, hung around his waist.

“Have we met before?” Lorelei asked, staring intently at his brown eyes. “Ryder… that seems like a familiar name.”

The boy shrugged. “It’s a common name, I suppose.”

This was quickly turning into a waste of time.

“Let’s get to the point,” Olga said. “We’re here to discuss protecting the caves from poachers. Like I told you, White, Lorelei noticed an increase—”

“Yes, yes.” The Mayor waved his hands, interrupting Olga, and walked over to Ryder. Puffing out his chest, he patted the boy’s shoulder. “You told me all about it on the phone. So, I was proactive, like you keep saying I should be during the town meetings. I called the Sevii Ranger Outpost on Three Island. They sent this fine young man to protect our town from these poachers you claim are around.”

Lorelei frowned. “They sent one single ranger?”

Ryder shook the Mayor’s hand off, his expression revealing only disgust and contempt towards the man. Olga sympathised. Despite that, he maintained a professional posture.

“I arrived a few days ago as soon as we received the call from Mayor White. My goal is to assess the situation before the KRA can send more people.” His voice was calm, almost too calm, as if rehearsed. Despite his attempt to project competence, Olga remained unimpressed.

“KRA?” Lori asked.

“The Kanto Ranger Association. They oversee the Sevii outpost,” Ryder replied, then turned back to the Mayor. “The caves are difficult to navigate. Without a guide, my job will take much longer.”

Lorelei nodded, seemingly satisfied. Olga, however, was not. “That’s why we don’t call outsiders for this sort of thing, White.” Her jaw clenched again. “I expected you to coordinate with the local police and trainers. Make a task force. Not call a kid from Kanto to solve our problems.”

Ryder narrowed his eyes at her.

“No offence,” Olga sneered. “You’ve got an accent.”

The Mayor wiped his forehead again, and, folding his tissue, looked at Olga and Lorelei. “Are any of you volunteering to stay around long enough to help this… task force?”

Olga… well, she didn’t have a big repertoire of reactions. So she groaned. Lori, though, wrapped her arms protectively around her chest and looked away. “Maybe having rangers here might be good,” she muttered softly.

Of course, Lorelei wasn’t halting her journey for this. She cared for the Lapras, sure, but they only came here for a few weeks each year. Olga herself had shops all over the Sevii Islands and was finally expanding to Kanto. She could find more trustworthy people to help, like Delia. That would certainly free up her schedule, but… she liked to micromanage.

Still, this was their home, and the idea of an outsider getting to know their caves didn’t sit well with her.

The ranger stepped closer to Olga and Lorelei. “We can help,” he said. “The KRA frequently deals with poachers, and I gather you called us in response to an incident with the Lapras that migrate to the Icefall Caves.” He turned to Lorelei. “Were you the one who reported it?”

Lorelei nodded. “Some of them were missing, but the situation is… unusual. The police weren’t helpful at all. That’s why I asked Olga to set this meeting with the Mayor.”

Ryder maintained his professional tone as he spoke. “Rangers are here for that. Perhaps you could show me where the herd is? If they were attacked by poachers, there may be signs of psychological stress or injuries, which would be important for my report to the KRA.” He paused, lost in thought, but Olga noticed a glint in his eye as he continued. “I also understand they are the rarest Pokémon in the cave system surrounding the island. It’s crucial we locate their nest and prioritise their protection.”

Olga and Lorelei exchanged a brief look of worry.

“Unless... Is there something else in the caves I should be aware of?” he asked, frowning.

“Not even the Lapras stay here too long,” Olga answered dryly, keeping her voice as even as she could. “They’ll be gone in a few weeks, then we’re back to only finding the odd Swinub around.”

“Well, it appears we’ve all got much to consider,” the Mayor interrupted, his disinterest clear. He shifted back to Ryder’s side and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder again, causing the young ranger to grimace. “Lorelei, you wouldn’t mind finally sharing the location of the Lapras’ nest, would you?”

Olga didn’t need to glance at Lorelei to know she would absolutely mind sharing this information. For years, she had kept that place a secret from almost everyone on the island. Still, the ranger had a point… It would be hard to protect something without knowing its whereabouts.

“What about this,” Lori began, after a long pause. “I’m busy with the tournament for the next few days. After the festival is over, I can take you there.”

Lorelei was stalling for time to decide, Olga noted, also noticing the ranger’s slight scowl at her response. Still, he appeared committed to maintaining professionalism and did not press further. Instead, Ryder simply shook the Mayor’s hand off his shoulder and dipped his head to Lorelei, resigning himself to wait.

“I’ll keep surveying the area however I can in the meantime,” he said before leaving, without wasting time on goodbyes, which Olga greatly appreciated.

After that, there wasn’t much else to discuss with the Mayor. Olga insisted a local task force to protect the caves would still be beneficial, but Mayor White didn’t budge. He seemed overly proud of himself for having brought a ranger and didn’t want to linger on any other topic.

It wasn’t long before they both left. Lorelei was quiet and lost in thought, so much so that she didn’t even comment when Linda, the receptionist, awkwardly asked Olga if she was going to watch the fireworks that night.

“We’ll keep doing what we can. There’s no point in dwelling on things that are out of our hands,” Olga finally said once they were outside the town hall. “Focus on your goal and train hard. You know that’s how you help the Lapras.”

Long before there was Celeste, Olga had met a sickly little girl with a Lapras she couldn’t handle. She would never say it out loud, but she was proud of the woman that girl was becoming. If anyone asked, though, Olga wouldn’t hesitate to say Lorelei was going places.

—*——*—

The sun was setting as Olga made her way to her booth at the festival. She spotted Rey standing alone behind the counter, fussing with his headpiece in a mirror. The two pink antennae in it curved upwards resembling the eyebrows of a Milotic, with flowing pink ribbons cascading elegantly down the sides.

“Hello, mother.” Rey’s greeting was polite, but his eyes remained fixed on his costume as Olga lit the lanterns by the booth. The festival was in full swing, with the air thick with the aroma of fried food and the sound of a pop song about zombies that had been all the rage in her youth.

“Just so you know,” Rey shot a quick glance at his mother, “your lackey is out with her not-boyfriend, distributing samples of her pumpkin ice cream. Free samples.”

“Rey…” Olga grumbled. By her side, Vanillite mimicked her frustration. She didn’t need to finish the sentence.

Rey shrugged, finally directing his attention to his mother, the pink ribbons on his headpiece floating gracefully as he turned. “Sorry. Your em-ploy-ee is out there giving away ice cream for free. Did you seriously agree to this?”

“It’s a new flavour. She’s testing it,” Olga answered, making her way behind the counter. “Why are you dressed like this, anyway?”

He smirked. “Milotic are known as the most beautiful Pokémon. I think it’s a fitting costume.”

“Showing off to your fans?” Olga arched an eyebrow, eliciting a smooth laugh from Rey.

“If you must know, I’ve been invited to several parties tonight.” He grinned with pride, puffing out his chest. Olga couldn’t help but think of him as a little Prinplup playing dress up. “I’ll try to make it to all of them, but I’ll only stay at the one where DJ Jiggly Jams is playing. Who knows, he might even do a feature on me for his podcast.”

“Right...” Olga said flatly. “Wild idea here: you could stick around and watch the fireworks with Celeste, Delia, and that other boy.”

“Why in the world would I do that?”

“Making friends might be better than gathering fans?” Olga turned to Lite for a little help, but the Ice-Type simply sprinkled some snow around. “If you acted... nicer, I’m sure Celeste would become your friend.”

“I’ve given her the opportunity to be more than that,” he grinned, making Olga cringe. “Oh, don’t make that face. I’m not interested anymore.”

She massaged her temples, glad the hangover from the morning was finally gone. “You know that girl would try to befriend a door if she could, right?”

“Yes, and it’s incredibly annoying. She has no standards,” Rey concluded, looking around and spotting none other than the girl in question. Celeste, followed by her ever-present Eevee, made her way to the booth. As she stopped, Rey looked her up and down before spatting, “I’m out of here.”

Celeste walked towards Olga, refusing to even acknowledge Rey. She was dressed in a long white kimono with a red ribbon tying it up. Clearly, the Galarian girl had very little experience walking in a kimono, but this didn’t seem to deter her. On her head was a white hood of sorts, pulled down to her nose, with two large eye holes. Long white strips of cloth hung from the sides of the hood, widening and turning bluer as they fell down to her waist. Finally, on top of the hood were two large bobbles that imitated crystals. She grinned proudly, contrasting with Rey’s smirk in every possible way.

“I’m a Froslass,” she said, excited despite Olga’s flat stare.

“I noticed,” Olga replied, flipping through the registry to check the day’s sales. Celeste was sort of endearing, but Olga would never admit that. The kid needed someone to be tough on her, not to indulge her with compliments.

“It’s cool because today is Halloween and this is an ice festival,” Celeste insisted, proving once more to be the bane of Olga’s existence. “So I’m—”

“An ice ghost.” Olga rolled her eyes. “Very original. Also, not Halloween.”

Olga heard the Eevee snort, and she was sure Celeste was pouting—or fake pouting—as she often did when training didn’t go her way.

“Do you need me to do anything for you this evening?” Celeste asked, barely hiding her excitement.

“Learn to walk in a kimono and don’t break a leg before your battle tomorrow,” Olga answered, looking up at Celeste. “Enjoy the night. If you meet Delia, tell her she also has the rest of the evening off.”

Celeste beamed, but before leaving, she stopped and turned back to Olga with a hint of worry. “What about you? I can stay here so you can spend some time with your friends, too.”

Olga snorted. “I’m here every year, kid. Go have fun and someday tell other Galarians about this place.”

“You might need to start selling that hangover juice if I do.” Celeste chuckled before releasing her Slowpoke and Vulpix. “Pat, there’s a fish-the-Magikarp game that I absolutely want to win,” she said, lifting her Slowpoke up and walking away, even more awkwardly than before.

—*——*—

“It’s almost time for the fireworks,” Olga told Vanillite as she watched the plaza empty. People dressed in all kinds of costumes were heading to the beach to watch the display. It had been so long since Olga had last dressed up, but this year she felt like she was missing out.

“Lite,” the Pokémon said softly, in a tone much like Lorelei’s during their walk to the town hall.

“They’re not rubbing off on me,” Olga answered tiredly. “I know you agree I can help the girls out.”

Vanillite let out a flurry of snow in response, which annoyed Olga. Before she could complain—or, more likely, groan—Delia approached the booth. She was wearing yellow Pikachu ears, with bright red circles painted on her cheeks. The boy with her had huge red glasses that resembled the eyes of the Hoothoot perched on his head.

“You’re going to miss the fireworks if you don’t hurry,” Olga said, holding her unenthusiastic look.

“Cee is saving our places.” Delia smiled. “Also, I wanted to let you know the pumpkin ice cream was a success.”

“She told us you looked miserable and alone here, and convinced us we should drag you to watch the fireworks with us—AHH!” Before the boy finished, his Hoothoot began pecking at him. He half-managed to keep her away before continuing. “Lorelei also mentioned your date might be aroun—”

Delia kicked him, more discreetly than the Hoothoot, making him blush. “Ignore him,” she said with a smile. Olga couldn’t help but chuckle. Undeterred, Delia continued, “If we help you close up, we can still make it on time.”

Without waiting for permission, Delia made her way around the counter and put the lock on the freezer at the back. Olga looked at Vanillite, exasperated, but her Pokémon bobbed up and down, apparently agreeing to this.

She wasn’t being given a choice.

With the boy—Luan’s—help, it barely took ten minutes to close the booth and head to the beach where Celeste had her Pokémon guarding the space she was saving. Her Eevee was hissing at people, her Vulpix throwing snow, and her Slowpoke was scaring crowds away with yawns.

“You made it just in time,” Celeste yelled, awkwardly waving her arms. She was still committed to the Froslass look and still couldn’t move well in her costume.

I’m just happy you are allowing people into your life for once.

Olga remembered Lorelei’s words as she watched the sky flare up with fireworks shaped like snowflakes and Pokémon. Even Vanillite twirled as one firework took its shape.

As the lights lit up her face, she watched the three teenagers in front of her. As usual, Olga crossed her arms and tried to look unimpressed.

But this time, since no one was watching, she did something different.

She smiled.